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Cons:

Previous generations may remember exactly where they were when they heard that JFK had been shot or when man had first set foot on the moon. This generation now has its own "frozen-in-time" moment -- for the first time this millennium, 989 Sports has actually released a game that, well, doesn't bite. Its World Tour Soccer 2003 showed promise, but its NFL GameDay 2004 delivers the goods. It may not be hanging out in the rarified air that Madden and Sega's ESPN game breathe, but it finally deserves to be on the same playing field as them.

Developers 989 Sports and Red Zone have come up with a bagful of new or improved elements that all work surprisingly well. Print ads for the game highlight 2004's new pressure-sensitive controls, and they do a lot to boost the game's realism. I found it most evident in the passing game. For example, trying to hit your man in double coverage by simply tapping on the pass button will loft a floaty ball with "interception" written all over it. To nail him in the numbers with a bullet, you have to hold down the proper pass button for a few beats. Of course, there are some times when you will want a light touch on the ball. Being able to control the strength of your QB's arm, as well as the speed and intensity of your running back's juking and stiff arming, may take some getting used to, but it definitely deepens the gameplay.

On the single-player front, the coolest new feature, though, is the game's voice recognition ability. Your SOCOM headset will let you lead a whole new type of gang into enemy territory. Activated by hitting the R2 button, the voice recognition system responds to more than three dozen different commands that'll let you control the action on the field. On defense, you can shift, spread, or pinch your entire line or linebacker corps with a single call. On offense, you can call for extra QB protection, or send a man in motion.

Yes, at times, the whole voice recognition thing can seem kind of gimmicky. I mean, which is easier -- hitting a button and saying "hike," or just hitting the X button to hike the ball? There is, though, the way-too-fun ability to whip the headset to the ground after you've been burned for a TD -- just like real coaches do.

The headset will also let you literally get into the head of your online opponents, allowing you to slam him verbally, while your team slams him virtually. Online is where 2004 really shines. The 989 Sports Online service is an entire suite of online tools that are a simple click away. Hang out in chat rooms, e-mail other players, download the latest rosters, play a ranking game, or get involved in a private tournament. As an added bonus, while you're online, you're constantly kept up to date with real-world sports news and scores through an ESPN2-like info bar at the bottom of the screen.

The chat and e-mail features are great. I must get about a billion-and-a-half e-mails and IMs a day, but there's just something cool about turning on your TV and getting mail or a new message. Setting up "Buddy Lists" and sending mail is a snap. Ideally, future versions of the game will use one of the Dual Shock's dozen-plus buttons as a hot-key for the spacebar. Having to scroll to the space button on the onscreen keyboard between every word is too much of a drag. The game does support a USB keyboard, though.

When you're not burning the DBs of strangers, 2004 lets you tackle the computer in some very standard modes. Play a single game, a season, or quit your real job and become GM of a team. The GM mode is more of a dynasty-building multiyear deal than Madden's insanely deep "micromanage everything" concept. If you're into a simpler take on the life of a GM, and don't really care about how much to charge fans for drinks and hotdogs, you might enjoy 2004 more. And, if you've played 989's NCAA GameBreaker 2004 and have some stellar graduating seniors on your memory card, they can be imported and drafted by your team.

Up for grabs.

The presentation of 2004 is light years ahead of its predecessors. While not visually as spectacular as either Madden or Sega's ESPN game, it more than captures a true broadcast feel. Players are more realistically proportioned to each other than in the past, and 180 of the top guys have had their actual faces mapped into the game. The action on the field is fluid, realistic, and brutal, although I did get tired of the shots of the defense whining after every mildly successful offensive play.

In the booth, Dick Enberg, Dan Fouts, and Ian Eagle do a good job of keeping up with the action. Their commentary may be sparse, but it tends not to be overly repetitive. Stadium atmosphere is just OK. The crowd is louder when the home team is doing the scoring, but fails to capture the rabid mood of many teams' fans.

Hopefully, NFL GameDay 2004 shows that Sony's 989 Sports is taking its game to another level. It's a solid improvement over past incarnations of the series, and is definitely a viable option for the PS2-owning football fan. Sega Sports pushed the folks at EA Sports to new heights, and it was ultimately the football-loving consumer that benefited. Now, with another top franchise thrown into the competitive mix, the future of console football is looking better and better.